Overview of Food Recycling License

In India, the problem of food waste is a modern problem. Every year, nearly forty per cent of the produced food is wasted in India due to the fragmented food systems and insufficient supply chains as per the Estimation of the FAO, Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Despite an adequate food production, the UN has reported that approximately 190 million Indians remain undernourished. It is also estimated that the food waste is around Rs. 92,000 crores per annum in India.

There is a significant amount of food generated in our homes. According to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, a straight 50 kg of food is thrown away per person every year in India. This wastage of food ends up in landfills, creating the potent greenhouse gas which has so many dire environmental effects. The total amount of food wasted in 20211 is 817,000 tonnes, 23% more than that of food waste generated in 2020. As the amount of food waste increased, the food waste recycling also increased, and so the recycling rate for food waste is still at 19%.

Food Waste Management Hierarchy

Followings are the hierarchy of steps taken in Food Waste Management:

• Prevention and Reduction of Food Wastage at source
• Redistribution of unsold or excess food
• Recycling or treatment of food waste
• Compost i.e., Final Product

Food waste in landfills generates methane, a greenhouse gas. By composting the food waste and other organics, methane emissions can be reduced. Compost reduces and also eliminates the need for any chemical fertilizers. Compost also promotes the higher yields of agricultural crops.

Benefits of the Composting Food Waste

The following are the benefits of Composting the waste food:

• Prevents soil erosion
• Promote plant growth
• Healthier plants
• Conserve water
• Reduce waste
• Improves soil quality
• Decrease emission of greenhouse gas
• Minimize the odours in agricultural areas